††††† Certainly, younger children who are learning phonics need considerably more of your time than children who are already reading. And most boys require more time anyway because they often have trouble staying on task. I would recommend several things. First, I would incorporate your daughter into the planning and teaching of the younger children. Since we are to be preparing our daughters and sons for motherhood and fatherhood, it is imperative that we give them ample experience teaching the younger children so that they are fully equipped to teach their own children. Give your daughter examples of what you are doing and then have her take turns teaching the younger ones. Also, require her to come up with creative teaching ideas to help the younger ones learn new concepts. Let her see the usefulness of her assistance and the blessing of the opportunity this affords for preparation for motherhood. The same holds true for sons as well.

††††† Secondly, I would strongly encourage you to teach all your children together for all subjects, except phonics of course, and possibly math. We must keep in mind that homeschooling is not public school at home. Godís design is for us to be discipling our children when we rise up, while we walk along the way, and when we lie down. It is not, ďHere, children, are your books. Go do, and I will see you at the end of the day to check your work,Ē but rather, ďCome with me, and letís discuss this.Ē Unfortunately, most of us were raised in public schools, so that is all we know, but let us look at the Hebrew method of education and emulate Godís design.

††††† I have been homeschooling for 26 years now, and I can tell you that I love it as much today as I did when I started. However, if I had all my children on different grade levels for every subject, I would not be as passionate about homeschooling. I love homeschooling for many reasons, but foremost is that we are a family who stay together all day learning together, working together, and playing together. I have a 10-year-old, a 16-year-old and an 18-year-old, and even with the discrepancy of age, all of our schooling is done together except for Josiahís math because he is so much younger than the other two. But for every other subject including Bible, Language Arts, Literature, History, Science, Art, and Music, we learn together. Even at 49, I am learning with my children, and I love it because I know what it was like to be fed crumbs in the darkness. Therefore, I truly relish partaking of the Lordís Banquet each day now.

††††† Most of what we do is read and discuss and retell. I read aloud, I stop to discuss words, diagram words, define words, discuss events, discuss people and the impact their decisions carried, the righteousness and unrighteousness of their thoughts, attitudes, and actions, and how it affected history. The same holds true for all the other subjects, except for Language Arts. For that the children each have the same lessons that we do together, each taking turns answering the questions for each lesson. Thus, we all benefit from each otherís answers, both the correct and the incorrect ones, as the incorrect ones afford us the opportunity to discuss the right and wrong of figuring the answer.

††††† We study history chronologically and include Dad in on our books, projects, videos, travelogues, tapes, and outings that enhance our study. Homeschooling is a family affair at our house, and I would not have it any other way. I constantly thank God that He has blessed us with such a marvelous opportunity to learn together as He intended.